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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is another good Hawthorne and Horowitz book. I do like that it takes place on an island at a literary festival; as another reviewer pointed out, it gives it a locked-room mystery feel. I totally didn’t see where the mystery was headed this time; I felt just as clueless as Horowitz’s character.
When Ex-Detective Inspector Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick, author Anthony Horowitz, are invited to an exclusive literary festival on Alderney, an idyllic island off the south coast of England, they don’t expect to find themselves in the middle of murder investigation—or to be trapped with a cold-blooded killer in a remote place with a murky, haunted past.
Arriving on Alderney, Hawthorne and Horowitz soon meet the festival’s other guests—an eccentric gathering that includes a bestselling children’s author, a French poet, a TV chef turned cookbook author, a blind psychic, and a war historian—along with a group of ornery locals embroiled in an escalating feud over a disruptive power line.
When a local grandee is found dead under mysterious circumstances, Hawthorne and Horowitz become embroiled in the case. The island is locked down, no one is allowed on or off, and it soon becomes horribly clear that a murderer lurks in their midst. But who?
What an absolutely brilliant book! I was so absorbed in the story and characters that I found myself wondering if Horowitz as actually as self deprecating as he appears only to pull myself up short and remind myself that he's actually writing the book! A fabulous whodunnit with loads of clues and leads (all of which I got completely wrong). I fell for every red herring, found myself following the author's misdirection and had absolutely no idea who the murderer would turn out to be - and the book was all the better for it!
This is my first Hawthorne and Horowitz mystery which I received from Netgalley in return for an honest review. However I'm now about to read the first two in the series. What a treat is in store for me!
Arriving on Alderney, Hawthorne and Horowitz soon meet the festival’s other guests—an eccentric gathering that includes a bestselling children’s author, a French poet, a TV chef turned cookbook author, a blind psychic, and a war historian—along with a group of ornery locals embroiled in an escalating feud over a disruptive power line.
When a local grandee is found dead under mysterious circumstances, Hawthorne and Horowitz become embroiled in the case. The island is locked down, no one is allowed on or off, and it soon becomes horribly clear that a murderer lurks in their midst. But who?
What an absolutely brilliant book! I was so absorbed in the story and characters that I found myself wondering if Horowitz as actually as self deprecating as he appears only to pull myself up short and remind myself that he's actually writing the book! A fabulous whodunnit with loads of clues and leads (all of which I got completely wrong). I fell for every red herring, found myself following the author's misdirection and had absolutely no idea who the murderer would turn out to be - and the book was all the better for it!
This is my first Hawthorne and Horowitz mystery which I received from Netgalley in return for an honest review. However I'm now about to read the first two in the series. What a treat is in store for me!
Another excellent story from my favourite author, a very enjoyable and easy read, my detective skills must be improving as I actually managed to identify the killer early on, although the motive did escape me I must admit
Solid 4.5 and for once, I actually worked this one out before it was revealed!
you know, for being so anti-homophobic and anti-racist, he sure does manage to get something fatphobic into every book
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This modern-day mystery with a detective bearing many similarities to the Sherlock of old was, in many ways, predictable. There was never a "clutch your pearls" moment.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence